Summit County accounts for one in four single-event alcohol permits issued statewide so far in 2026, and a Park City hospitality veteran is betting that demand creates a market for help navigating the paperwork.
Casey Metzger, owner of Top Shelf Professional Bar Services, launched Event Permitting Solutions this month, a consulting arm that walks event organizers through Utah's notoriously complex single-event alcohol permitting process. The service offers three tiers: light guidance, hands-on assistance or full-service management, according to the Park Record.
"I've seen clients crying. I've seen clients driving from West Valley for background checks to Coalville to get a permit. And then all of a sudden they close the door … 'You got to go back down to West Valley, and come back to Coalville Thursday because we're not open on Tuesday,'" Metzger told the Park Record. "Those are the things that we just know."
Metzger has spent 18 years in Utah's bar industry and served as board chair of the Park City Chamber of Commerce through 2021. He said no other business had attempted to package permitting help as a standalone service in the alcoholic beverage space.
Why it's complicated
Utah is a control state with an "express language clause" in its alcohol code: if something isn't expressly allowed, it's forbidden. Any event that sells, serves or even includes alcohol with a ticket purchase must obtain a single-event permit from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services. Unlike other states, Utah does not offer a traveling liquor license that would let outside bar teams sell at events.
The process requires steps in a specific order. Applicants must secure city approval before submitting to the state, and going out of order can delay or kill an application.
Salt Lake City-based liquor attorney Tanner Lennart said penalties for selling without a permit range from civil consequences, including being banned from future permits, to criminal charges. In her 15 years practicing in Utah, she said single-event permit requests grew from a few hundred per year to thousands.
Park City's permitting burden
As of Tuesday, Aug. 18, the state had approved 528 single-event permits for 2026. Summit County ranked second statewide with 132, behind Salt Lake County's 244.
Ginger Wicks, executive director of the Park City Area Restaurant Association, said the service addresses a real gap for local businesses and nonprofits. She pointed to Savor the Summit, the annual June dinner party on Main Street, as an example: each participating restaurant must pull its own separate UDABS permit to serve alcohol on the street. The online process isn't intuitive, Wicks said, and for first-time applicants it can be overwhelming.
Top Shelf has hired a staff member dedicated solely to the permitting work. Residents and event planners can find the service at topshelfutah.com/eps.
